Early Signs of Spring?

Last weekend I mentioned hearing the Cardinals singing, invoking thoughts of Spring despite the brutal cold weather we are experiencing. This morning I also heard a Red-winged Blackbird singing in the distance. But even more interesting was this female Cardinal perched in the tree in front of my next door neighbor's window.



Over and over she would fly to the window in attack mode. Evidently, she saw her reflection and was trying to run off the intruder. This is common behavior in the Spring when mating starts up. I thought it was kind of early in the year for this to happen, but apparently I was wrong.





From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Q: The behavior .... often occurs in spring. This is the time of year when most birds are busy establishing their territories, finding a mate, laying eggs, and raising their young. They are very protective of their territory and will attack and try to drive away any bird they view as a possible competitor or a threat to their young. When they see their own reflection in your window, they assume they’re seeing a competitor and so they attack their own image. Both males and females may do this, especially species that often nest close to houses, such as American Robins, Northern Cardinals, Chipping Sparrows, and Song Sparrows.

This territorial reaction may be so strong that the bird may exhaust itself, but it usually doesn't result in fatal injury.